


Happy Birthday to My Valentine

by pajamabees



Series: It's the Sweet Life [11]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Valentine's Day, and just now decided to finish it lmaoo, i know i know it was months ago but i started writing this before valentine's day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 13:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18605662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pajamabees/pseuds/pajamabees
Summary: “What if you made something?”Shiro huffed out a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m not good at making anything.”“That’s true.” Shiro balked at how readily Allura agreed, but she continued as if she hadn’t just slightly insulted him. “But you could try. And I think Adam likes it when you try.”“How do you know?”“Well, he looks at you.”Shiro frowned. “He always looks at me.”“No, I mean he looks at you. In a certain way. It’s rather odd, actually….”--------------------------In which Adam's birthday is unfortunately also Valentine's Day, and Shiro struggles to find the perfect gift.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's weird to put this into chapters, but I just thought it would be fun since there were breaks in it anyway. I hope you enjoy!

Shiro never used to care for Valentine’s Day. He often forgot it even existed most of the time. As a teen, he would notice the shelves at the store and think for a few seconds, wondering why everything was pink and red. It would hit him—it’s Valentine’s Day soon!—and then he’d forget all about it before he even walked out of the store. The day of love just mattered very little to him. Even when he started dating at 18, he didn’t put a lot of effort into the holiday. Maybe that was why Kevin broke up with him.

But then came Adam, who stepped right up to the theoretical door of his heart and didn’t even bother reading the sign that said “Shiro’s Life: Please Knock”. Nope; he slammed it open and walked right through, and suddenly Shiro _had_ to care about February 14th. It was the same day as Adam’s birthday, because of course it was.

“That’s funny,” Shiro said when he found out. He remembered how Adam’s nostrils flared that day, facing growing as red as what Shiro imagined Aphrodite’s lips to be.

“Shut up. Aren’t you, like, not even five years old?”

And that was the end of that conversation.

For years and years afterwards, Valentine’s Day was extremely important. Shiro circled it on his calendar, highlighted it, drew stars and hearts all around the date. Alarms were set a month in advance, the last one going off a week before the crucial day because if he hadn’t started thinking of a gift before then, he might as well call their relationship over. Well, not really. Adam would still love him, but not without petty theatrics. He was a man of the arts; he was dramatic, extra, frustratingly beautiful, and his birthday was February 14th. He was not easily forgotten, and he would never let Shiro live it down.

Which was why Shiro, after 15 years of knowing this fiery man, was searching every flower shop he could think of.

“I don’t understand,” came Allura’s voice through the Cell Droid that Shiro was finally able to use on his own, “Isn’t there a specific flower for this human event? Ah, it was called…uhm.”

“The rose.”

“Yes!”

“No.” Allura made a confused noise, and Shiro elaborated as he scanned the shelves of flowers. “No, I can’t give him roses.”

“And why not?”

“Because….” Shiro began, eyeing the endless variety of roses that this flower shopped seemed to only have. They were beautiful, as most flowers were, but there was just something about them that didn’t scream Adam. Actually, they were almost the exact opposite of Adam. Pretty, but typical, and not a lot going on. Adam was gorgeous with a big personality—too big, Shiro though sometimes—and this just wasn’t it. “They’re too common. Adam wouldn’t like it.”

On the other line, Allura hummed. “Well, what about Altean flowers?”

“That’s a great idea Allura, but I can’t do that either. Adam beat me to it a few years ago.”

“Maybe he won’t remember?”

Shiro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Adam didn’t forget anything. This was going to be harder than usual.

“Oh, Shiro,” Allura said, “I’m not helping, am I?”

“No, no, no! You’re doing great, Allura. Adam is just hard to shop for.”

The princess was silent for a few seconds. Shiro nervously played with a few rose petals, thinking he had hurt Allura’s feelings, when she finally spoke again. “What if you made something?”

Shiro huffed out a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m not good at making anything.”

“That’s true.” Shiro balked at how readily Allura agreed, but she continued as if she hadn’t just slightly insulted him. “But you could try. And I think Adam likes it when you try.”

“How do you know?”

“Well, he looks at you.”

Shiro frowned. “He always looks at me.”

“No, I mean he _looks_ at you. In a certain way. It’s rather odd, actually….” Allura sighed. “Anyway, I have to go now. Good luck, Shiro. I know you will think of something, and Adam will love it.”

“I guess. Thanks, Allura.”

After they both said goodbye and hung up, Shiro dragged a hand down his face. This would be so much easier if it was _only_ Valentine’s Day…. No, scratch that. It would still be incredibly difficult. This is Adam he’s talking about. Adam, his husband of 8 years, who was definitely not a rose person, yet all this flower shop had were roses!

Shiro let out a frustrated groan. Every single shelf: roses. Roses, roses, roses. Everywhere! Couldn’t people think of something else? And why was Shiro buying flowers anyway? Adam had a _garden_ , with vegetables and flowers of all kinds. The house even had probably 20 different types scattered all over the place. Did Adam really need flowers that would just end up wrinkling and falling apart a week later? If Shiro was smart, he’d buy the man some seeds or something—

_Wait_. Shiro’s eyes widened.


	2. Chapter 2

_“Babe?”_

_“Hm?”_

_“Can I help you with something?”_

_Shiro blinked and looked down at Adam, who was crouching over a bed of flowers he had been working on all morning. “Uh. Just watching.”_

_Adam raised an eyebrow. “Do you mind watching a little bit to your left? You’re blocking the sun.”_

_“What—oh!” Shuffling awkwardly to the side, Shiro positioned himself in a low crouch, similar to Adam. He gave the man a cheeky grin and received a suspicious side-eye in return before Adam turned back to the flower bed and continued doing…whatever it was he was doing. It looked like he was ripping up roots, and rather violently, too._

_Shiro watched him pick at the green stems in confusion. Didn’t plants need those?_

_“What are you doing?” he finally asked, “Why are you ripping up roots?”_

_“They’re not roots.” Another stem was ripped out with a soft crunch, and Adam dropped the poor thing in a bucket. “They’re weeds. I’m weeding.”_

_“Weeds?”_

_“Yeah. They’re like small plants.”_

_Shiro furrowed his brow and leaned in closer, inspecting the bucket that was half full of wrangled plants. “Why do you have to weed?”_

_Pausing in his aggressive antics, Adam leaned back on his hindlegs, wiping his forehead with the back of his gloved hand before turning to Shiro. “Well, there are lots of reasons. They steal nutrients from the soil, and if they grow too tall, they could block the sunlight from reaching these little guys.” Sliding a glove off, he touched one of the flowers with a weightless finger. “Plus, they look ugly.”_

_“Oh,” Shiro nodded, and he watched as Adam caressed the multicolored petals, “What kind of flower is that, anyway?”_

_Adam smiled, and Shiro grew a little jealous that such a soft expression wasn’t targeted towards him. “Parrot Tulips. Aren’t they gorgeous?”_

_They were. A swirl of different colors made up the petals, shaped like the kind of leaves that fell on the ground during Fall. They curled around the center, keeping it cooped up in their protected wings, only accessible to small insects and birds with long and thin beaks. The flower itself was rather short, but the bed was full of so many of them, all sporting a unique pattern. The Summer breeze made it look like a bunch of colorful feathers swaying on a flimsy stick._

_“They’re beautiful,” Shiro said. Adam didn’t say anything. He continued to run his fingers along the petals, coddling it like a newborn child. His brown skin glowed in the sunlight, his forearms a tad bit darker than they were a few weeks ago. He started to hum, and Shiro took that as his queue to leave. Gardening had become a personal thing for Adam, and although he had never voiced it, Shiro knew he’d rather be alone._

_That didn’t stop Shiro from watching him, though._


	3. Chapter 3

It looked like a lion’s mane. Shiro had never seen anything like it.

“This is for your husband, right?” the florist came up behind him to ask, and Shiro didn’t even turn around. He was too transfixed on the flower before him.

“Yeah,” he breathed, and stepped closer to the giant. He was almost too afraid to go near it. The power it radiated…one would have guessed it was from a different planet. Even when Shiro had picked out the seeds, the picture on the packet looked fake—there was no way Earth was the origin of such a beautiful flower. Yet there it was, standing 6 feet tall in a bucket of the Earth’s very soil.

“I think he’s going to love it,” the florist said. He too was staring at the flower in awe.

“I hope.”


	4. Chapter 4

Everything was set up. He knew Adam’s nightly routine by now, and when the man settled into bed with a book, Shiro was positive he wouldn’t get up again until morning. And that’s when he excused himself—Adam giving him a suspicious look over his glasses—and with the help of the florist and a kind neighbor, sneaked the giant flower into Adam’s little greenhouse in the backyard.

“Will it die overnight?” Shiro asked.

The florist raised his eyebrow. “No? Of course not.”

Shiro wasn’t convinced, but his kind neighbor—an elderly woman who occasionally visited with tea and homemade bread—calmly informed him that he had been taking care of this plant for a month now and that if it hadn’t died overnight yet, then it certainly won’t tonight. That made Shiro feel a little less paranoid, and he thanked them for the help. But as he settled back into bed, Adam waiting for him with cuddles and kisses, he had a difficult time falling asleep. It felt like he had been trying to for hours, but every time he opened his eyes during the night the clock indicated only half an hour had passed. It wasn’t until the fourth time he opened them and read 1:03 A.M. that the same paranoia from before plagued his mind.

Carefully, he unwrapped himself from Adam’s sleepy hug and crawled out of bed, thankful that he chose to wear socks as they absorbed any sound his bare feet might have made.

And in his pajamas and slippers, he sneaked outside into the cold night air and to the greenhouse, where the flower was still standing.

He breathed a sigh of relief despite knowing the whole thing was quite ridiculous. His neighbor was right—there was no way it was going to die overnight. Even in the cold winter of February, it was safe in the humid and typically warm greenhouse. For Christ’s sake, he nurtured the damn thing in a greenhouse, so why was he so nervous? Did he question the safety of Adam’s own greenhouse or something?

No. Of course not. He would never question his husband’s ability to keep his plants safe.

Shiro supposed he was just anxious because this flower meant a lot to him. It was Adam’s birthday _and Valentine’s Day_ present after all, and Shiro had worked his hardest to take care of it. It was also the first plant he had ever had that was still alive for more than a week. Not to mention that he had tried to sneak around his normal day schedule so that his visits to the florist wouldn’t look suspicious. Adam asked him about his abnormal absences, and Shiro hated lying to him, but it was for the best, because this flower was truly something else, and he couldn’t wait for his husband to see it.

It was just…so perfect, the colors and everything. A mix of orange, pink, red, and yellow—like a sunset. The petals were small and short, but there were so many of them, all situated in a tight swirl the size of a dinnerplate. And that was funny, considering the name of this magnificent flower was the Dinnerplate Dahlia. It stood tall and proud in its giant flower pot, with giant green leaves that made the color stand out even more. Shiro’s heart stuttered just from looking at it.

Now this was a flower that shouted Adam, as if the Earth just loved Adam’s personality so much it had to create a flower to match it. But Shiro was pretty sure the flower came first, so maybe Adam was just a Dahlia personified.

Shiro snorted to himself. Adam, a Dahlia. That was cute.

“Takashi?”

And just like that, his heart froze over. Oh no.

Whipping around, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, Shiro locked eyes with the very man all this hard work was for, who was _not_ supposed to be up.

“Adam!” he squawked, backing up in front of the Dahlia in hopes he was tall enough to block it. “What are you doing here?”

His husband rubbed the sleep from his eyes and situated his glasses, stepping closer. “I got up to use the bathroom and you weren’t in bed…. What’s going on?”

“Nothing! Nothing. I was just—don’t come any closer!” Shiro held his hands up and Adam abruptly stopped. And if he wasn’t fully awake then, he certainly was now as a look of panic crossed his face.

“What? Takashi, what’s wrong?” With a concerned frown, Adam’s eyes searched the greenhouse, and Shiro realized maybe he shouldn’t have sounded so frantic. “What’s going on? Why are you even in here?”

Shiro didn’t know what to say. This was definitely not how he planned the reveal to go. He imagined waking Adam up with kisses and a nice breakfast—probably burnt, but he knew Adam wouldn’t mind—and maybe some birthday lovemaking if Adam was up to it. Then he would lead a blindfolded Adam to the greenhouse, and boom: a nice, calm, and happy birthday/Valentine’s Day.

He should have known something would go wrong.

“You better answer me,” Adam demanded, and Shiro was at a loss.

“I—uh,” he stuttered, and he backed up more as Adam stalked forward again. “I-It’s nothing, I swear. Why don’t we go inside—”

“No!”

Shiro froze. “Adam?”

The man was glaring at him now, panic and concern still hiding behind his lenses, but mixed with leveled anger. “You’ve been acting weird the last few weeks, and I’ve let it slide. But now I think we need to talk about it.”

“Adam, there’s nothing to talk about—”

“Yes there it is! What are you hiding from me?”

“Nothing!”

“Bullshit!”

Adam walked forward and tried to peak around Shiro’s body, only to be blocked when Shiro sidestepped. He tried it again and was blocked again.

“Takashi Shirogane!”

“Adam, I promise you it’s nothing bad. Just wait until morning and I can—”

His husband stomped his foot in frustration, like a child throwing a tantrum, pointing a finger at Shiro’s chest. “You better tell me _right now_ or I swear—”

“I can’t!”

Looking back at it, Shiro probably should have just told Adam rather than riling him up like this. But he was panicking and a little freaked out; he had tried so hard to breathe life into this flower without Adam noticing up until now, and he wanted the day to go exactly as he had planned because Adam was his husband and he deserved the best. And partially because he was self-conscious about the gift and was afraid Adam wouldn’t like it—even though Adam had never showed distaste towards any of his gifts before. He thought maybe a perfect day would make up for a shitty gift.

But all he was doing right now was irritating Adam further, and Adam had just about enough of it.

Angry and confused, Adam finally shoved him aside, but not without a little resistance. Shiro tried to hold him back, now in full panic mode, and they pushed at each other for a couple of seconds before finally Shiro just gave up and let a furious Adam through.

“I swear to god if this is something I should have known about I’m—” Whatever Adam was going to say next was lost in his throat as he suddenly paused. Beside him, Shiro hung his head in defeat.

And it was silent. For a full five awkward seconds, no one spoke, and Shiro didn’t even breathe. Even the crickets outside seemed to have noticed what was happening and stopped chirping in suspense. The silence was only broken by Adam’s soft voice.

“…Oh,” he gasped. “This is….”

“A Dinnerplate Dahlia,” Shiro finished for him. And then another five seconds of silence.

He heard Adam take a deep breath. “Is this for me?” He turned to look at Shiro but Shiro refused to do the same.

He swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded.

More silence. The greenhouse felt more humid than usual, and Shiro was having a difficult time breathing in air. He felt stupid for it, but he couldn’t help the tears that welled up in his eyes. He really wanted Adam’s day to be perfect, and now it was ruined. He should have just stayed in bed.

And then soft fingers grazed his jaw, coaxing him to finally turn his head. He felt a tear roll down his cheek, but it was wiped away by one of Adam’s thumbs.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” Adam whispered. In the dull LED lighting of the greenhouse, his eyes held no anger from before. Instead, they were big pools of doe-eyed brown filled with regret, and at the same time, sadness.

“It’s okay….” Shiro nuzzled the hand on his cheek and sniveled. “I should have just told you when you caught me.”

“No, I shouldn’t have gotten mad. I’m sorry.”

“Really, it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not, I yelled at you—”

Shiro grabbed the hands on his face, squeezing them before he brought them to his lips. “It’s fine, Adam. I panicked and you were frustrated and worried. It’s okay.”

Adam didn’t say anything else after that, just scrunched his eyebrows together in slight annoyance. But his face quickly melted into a soft smile, and he leaned up to kiss Shiro’s lips, which Shiro gladly reciprocated. After a few quick pecks, the kiss gradually deepened, until Adam was flush up against his chest and their lips moved together. It was slow and sensual, and they didn’t pull apart until Shiro’s tears had dried.

“I’m sorry I ruined your special day,” Shiro said when Adam pulled away.

Adam looked up at him in confusion. “You didn’t ruin it. Why would you think that?”

Shiro just shrugged. “I got you a stupid gift and then ruined the surprise.”

 “No, _I_ ruined the surprise. And what do you mean stupid gift?” Adam stepped away and looked at the flower again, awestruck. “It’s gorgeous. I’ve seen Dahlias before, but I didn’t know they could get so big. Where did you get it?”

“Jamie—you know that florist down the road? He was selling seed packets, and this one just stood out. He let me take care of it in his greenhouse.”

Stepping up behind Adam, he went to wrap his arms his waist, but Adam quickly twirled around before he could do so. He looked at Shiro with wide eyes.

“You mean…? You grew this flower? By yourself?”

“Well,” Shiro scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Jamie gave me some tips and stuff, but yeah I grew it myself.”

And then, in probably the softest voice Shiro had ever heard, Adam said, “…For me?”

“Of course.”

All Adam did was stare at him, then. Shiro watched his face go through so many emotions one at a time, from shock, awe, regret, sadness, shock again, and then finally adoration—all in a single second. And then it was just staring, eyes blown wide behind his metal frames with an expression Shiro had never seen on his face before. He couldn’t really describe it; it was just an expression with a million words behind it, but he couldn’t quite figure out what those words were. It kind of scared him though, and he was about to ask what was wrong when suddenly he was bombarded with kisses as Adam practically launched himself into his arms.

“I love it,” he murmured against his lips, right before he smashed their mouths together in a deep tongue-twirling kiss. He wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck and raked his fingers through his bed-ridden hair, and Shiro retaliated by grabbing his waist. Then Adam pressed their lower halves together and hiked a single leg over Shiro’s hip, and Shiro reluctantly peeled his mouth away.

“Wait,” he breathed, and Adam stopped his ministrations. “I was hoping we could do this tomorrow morning, for your birthday. And Valentine’s Day.”

“With morning breath? Yeah right,” Adam huffed, but then he traced a finger down Shiro’s chest and leaned in with a wide smirk. “And technically it is tomorrow…. We could make love now and sleep in.”

That same finger traveled all the way down until it hooked around the elastic band of Shiro’s pajama pants, and Shiro would have denied the small squeak that slipped from his mouth.

“That’s…a better idea.”

“I think so, too.”

And then they came together for a final kiss and scampered off, holding hands and giggling like they used to years ago. They didn’t get very far though, mostly because Shiro made a “deflowering” joke and Adam was none too pleased, and also because they weren’t as young as they used to be and it was hours passed their bedtime….

But Shiro made sure to whisper ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ in Adam’s ear as they cuddled instead, and together they drifted off to sleep.

Adam may have woken up to the smell of burnt toast, but that was okay.

 


End file.
